Driving Miss Mal
by StangeInterests32
Summary: Like all 16-year-olds, Mal wants to learn to drive. But she's finding out that wanting to drive, and actually driving are not one in the same. After repeated mistakes, she's all but given up hope until an unlikely teacher steps in.


Author's Note: So, I was watching "Wicked World" online the other day and I saw the scene where Mal drove Freddy and herself to the Isle, and I thought: who taught Mal to drive? Then this popped into my head.

Hope you all enjoy it…

* * *

The sound of grinding metal was heard along side the sound of screeching rubber. A few seconds later, the grinding was being repeated, this time accompanied by the sound of Ben's voice.

"Mal, Mal - Mal!" he cried out at the sound and feel of the car jumping in small jerks.

Immediate Mal slammed on the breaks and, with a loud complained grinding from the car, shifted into park. They jolted to a stop and Mal just froze in the driver's seat, both hands gripping the wheel so tightly at nine and three that her knuckles were white. Her gaze was laser focused in front of her, eyes wide to take everything in, the same way Carlos gets when he's playing on his handheld. And, most concerning for Ben, her breaths were coming in loud, deep rushes.

"You okay, babe?"

Mal nodded slowly.

Ben smiled and did his best not to chuckle at the sight of his girlfriend so freaked out. He reached over and gently grabbed at her fingers with his hands.

"How about we take our hands off the wheel for a second?" he suggested softly. She nodded automatically while letting him pull her hands off the wheel.

Once her hands were free of the wheel she leaned back and finally took a deep breath, letting it out seconds later, and feeling like she would shrink as it left her body.

"You did pretty good that time, she heard Ben say and turned to look at him, her green eyes wide from shock.

"Pretty good. _Pretty_ _good_? I almost ran over that squirrel that darted in front of the car," she almost cried.

"But you stopped in time."

"We also never went past the driveway because I can't get the stupid gears to work right," she whined. She slapped the wheel for emphasis.

"You're still learning," Ben encouraged.

"Learning? Ben you've been trying for a week to teach me to drive and the only thing I know how to do well is get in, put on my seat-belt, and turn the car on," she shouted at him, her eyes almost filling with tears over her frustration. "Face it, I'm hopeless. I might as well get used everyone else driving me places, or by a bus pass."

"Come on, you're not that bad," he told her, taking her right hand in his and giving it a kiss. "Stick shifts are difficult to learn, but if you can learn on this, learning a standard will be a breeze."

"I'm gonna go back to my dorm," she said sadly. "I'll see you tomorrow at school," she finished as she leaned over, gave Ben a quick kiss on the lips, and then got out of the car and began walking from the palace to the school.

"Mal, its like a mile back to Auradon Prep," he called after her.

"I've walked father," she shouted back. Then she looked over her shoulder. "I'm just getting used to doing this to get everywhere."

* * *

"So how'd the lesson go?" Ben heard his mother ask he entered one of the patios where lunch had been set up for his mother, father, Mal, and himself.

Ben forced a strained smile rather than relate to them the past hour's events.

"And where's Mal?" his father asked as he stirred his afternoon coffee.

"She decided to walk back to school," he answered.

"But its over a mile," Beast said.

"I know," Ben concurred as he took a seat at the table. "I tried to get her to let me at least drive her back, but she is…really upset."

"She still can't figure out the clutch?" his mother asked with a small smile.

Ben shook his head. "Or the transmission."

"Poor thing," Belle said as she took a sip of her tea.

"I just wish I could figure out how to teach her better," Ben lamented as the wait staff began to bring out the afternoon's meal.

Belle leaned over and took her son's hand in her own. She hated seeing him upset, and wished there was something she could do. "I'm sure you'll figure out something," she told him gently.

"You're teaching her in the wrong kind of car," Beast said matter-of-factly, and in Belle's opinion, maybe a little too bluntly. Ben just looked at his father, not completely sure what he meant. "I get that you want to teach her in _your_ car, but you had to learn to drive on a manual because you knew we were getting you an older car. Most new cars? They aren't sticks," he told his son.

"But it can't hurt to learn on one," Belle told him. "And maybe it isn't the car, maybe she's nervous with you, Ben," Belle reasoned.

"Nervous? Around me?" he asked in disbelief.

"She probably doesn't want to let you down, and it's making her nervous. How about this, why don't you take a break from teaching her, and I'll take a shot?" Belle suggested.

Ben wasn't thrilled about that idea. After Mal made it clear that she wanted to learn to drive, he decided that he wanted to be the one to show her. It would be a great way to get closer than they already were and had the added benefit of spending more time with her. But after a week, she was sinking more than she was swimming. As much as he hated to admit it, maybe a change in teachers would help.

"Why don't we let me handle this?" Best spoke up. Both Belle and Ben just looked at him. There weren't any real expressions on their faces, just a feeling of…

"Are you serious?" Ben asked as respectfully as he could.

"Completely, why?" he asked as he saw the look on his wife and son's face.

"Well, how do I put this delicately," Belle said, trying to reach for the best possible words. "When it comes to the villain children, Mal especially, you're not exactly known for your patience."

Ben nodded his head just slightly in concurrence.

Beast just gazed at his wife and son. I'm gonna try and _not_ be insulted by that, he thought.

"I like to think that the relationship between Mal and myself had gotten better. The awkwardness is nearly gone if you leave me and her alone in the same room," he smiled.

"Let her know I'll pick her up after classes tomorrow, honey," Belle told Ben without care.

"Not a problem," Ben agreed.

This is gonna end badly too, Beast thought.

* * *

"Okay, Mal, now there is nothing to be nervous about," Belle said reassuringly as she and Mal buckled themselves into Ben's car. They were parked in one of the school parking lots, Belle having parked the car in a position to allow Mal the ability to safely get out.

"That's what Ben said the first time we got in the car," Mal argued, her voice tinged with fear. "Then I nearly ran over a cat."

"Yes, well…just forget about that," Belle encouraged. "Today…today is all about a clean slate and moving forward."

"No pun intended?" Mal asked glibly.

Belle smiled at her. "You will do fine," she reassured the young girl next to her. "Turn on the car, please." Mal did as asked and nervously waited for the next instruction. "Good, now, do you remember how Ben taught you to shift?" Mal nodded. "Okay then, put it in drive, and _slowly_ pull forward and up to the end of the curb."

Mal took in a deep breath, and then let it out slowly. She gripped the gear shift, set her feet, and then there was a loud, almost plaintive, grinding sound.

"Mal, when your switching gears, release the clutch," Belle instructed her.

Mal nodded and tried again, this time, taking her foot off the clutch. There was no grinding sound on this attempt. Oh my God, I did it, she thought happily. She let out another breath, shifted, and felt her body jerk forward. She heard a shriek from Belle and then there was a loud thud and the feeling of being slammed into the seats behind them. Nothing was said for moment as both women tried to get their bearings. Eventually, Belle shook off the shock of what was obviously a crash and looked to the driver's seat.

"Are you okay, Mal?" she asked when she saw Mal looking like she was in pain.

"I think so," Mal answered as she moved shook her head, feeling a small pain. "Okay, maybe not," she groaned at the sudden pain.

"Oh my God," Belle said as she jumped out of the car and ran over to Mal's side. She opened the door and crouched down next to her. "What hurts?"

"My neck kind of stings if I move it to fast, or too far," she answered as she rubbed her neck.

Belle immediately pulled out her phone and began to call for help.

A while later, as Mal sat on one of the benches, the paramedics finishing checking her out, she surveyed the damage. Instead of shifting into drive, she'd accidentally put the car in reverse and when she gave it some gas, she slammed Ben's car into another parked car in the lot. The parked car had its driver's side door slammed in along with the broken window. Ben's car suffered from a smashed back fender, broken tail lights and a cracked back windshield. Ben is gonna kill me, she thought.

Her fears were reinforced when she saw Ben and Beast pulling up in one of the royal limos. They both climbed out and Ben practically ran over to Mal while Beast went to attend to his wife. "Are you okay?" he asked her quickly, his voice full of fear. "Is she okay?" he asked the paramedics treating her.

"She's fine, Your Majesty, just some neck sprain by the looks of it. Still, we're taking her to the hospital to get some X-rays done."

"I'm coming with her," he said, getting a nod from the paramedics.

"I'm sorry about your car," Mal said sadly.

"Its just a car, you're what's important," he told her, taking her hands in his and brought them up and kissed them.

"I knew it wasn't you," she said offhandedly.

"What wasn't me?" Ben asked.

"Why I couldn't learn to drive. You thought it was you, that's what your Mom said. That's why she was teaching me today. But it wasn't you. And it isn't her. Its me, I'm just beyond teaching," she said sadly, her head down so Ben couldn't see the tears forming.

"Mal," Ben consoled. He tried to lift her head, but she shook off his hand. She shook her head, not wanting him to see her cry.

* * *

Mal was just getting back from breakfast with Evie on Saturday morning the week after her accident. Today was the first day all week that she didn't wake up with neck pain and she was loving it. The doctors at the ER told her she might have whiplash. And just my luck, I get it, she thought as she remembered going back a few days later when she couldn't turn her her head without feeling a stinging pain. She was checked out and diagnosed with a minor case of the aforementioned whiplash. They'd given her some pain meds and told her to put some ice on her neck every now and then, and to also try and keep it moving to prevent stiffness.

"So, will you be trying another lesson today?" Evie asked as they entered their room.

"No," Mal answered with a shake of her head, smiling at the feeling of nothing for once. Pain free is awesome, she thought.

"Afraid you might crash again?"

Mal nodded. Evie was about to try and cheer her friend up when they heard a knock on the door. Evie went to answer it and became speechless at the sight of King Beast standing on the other side.

"Good morning Evie," he said.

"Uh…morning," she stammered.

"Is Mal here?"

Evie nodded nervously.

"Can I speak with her?"

"Mal, its for you," Evie said as she leaned back to look at Mal who was already on her bed.

Mal groaned as she got off her bed and made her way to the door. "Who is - Ben's dad," she said in surprise. "H-how can I help you?"

"I'm going to teach you to drive today," he said with a smile. Mal just stared back at him with a look of bewilderment. Or maybe it was a look where she was trying to figure out if she was dreaming, she couldn't decide. "Are you going to say something?"

"I've decided that driving is a skill I can't master."

Beast chuckled. "Everyone can learn to drive, you just have to know how to get through to them."

"And you're going to get through to me?" Mal asked. To anyone else listening, Evie included, the question almost sounded disrespectful. But to Beast, who had slowly gotten to know Mal a little better now that she was dating his son, he knew it was a challenge.

"I just need you to trust me," he told her.

"Do Ben and Belle know you're here?"

Beast shook his head. "Ben's meeting with the Council of Sidekicks today and Belle is doing what she normally does after breakfast: reading in the library."

"So this is what, some kind of secret driving lesson?"

"Yes ma'am."

"I don't know it this is such a good idea."

"If it helps, I promise no stick shifts today."

"Fine," Mal said after a few seconds of thought. "Let me grab my jacket."

Twenty minutes later, Beast was pulling them into the parking lot of a massive building Mal had never seen before. "Um…not to question your method, but isn't this place a little too exposed for a driving lesson?" Mal asked.

"We're not having our lesson out here, we're having it inside the building," he smiled. Mal became a little on edge at the sight of a smile that could only be described as, well, dangerous.

Once inside Mal had to stop herself from smiling as she saw what looked like roller coasters to games to food stands. "An indoor carnival?" Beast nodded just a little bit smugly. "But why is it empty?"

"Because I called the owner and asked that he rent me the place for the day so we could use those," he said with a point. Mal looked in the direction he was indicting and couldn't help but break out laughing.

"The go-karts?"

"Driving is something that you need to learn to do safely," he started, "and I'll show you how to do it safely in a real car. But first, we need to get you over your fear of being behind the wheel. The best way to do that: is make driving go from scary, to fun."

Okay, maybe this won't be so bad after all, Mal said, for once smiling at the thought of driving.

Two hours later Mal was zipping across the finish line, just narrowly beating Beast to it. They pulled their cars to a stop and pulled off their helmets.

"I win again," Mal celebrated with a laugh as she relished beating Beast. "I believe that brings the score to eight wins for you, twelve for me," she gloated.

"Yeah, yeah, you win again. I think that also means you're ready to move to the car outside."

Mal clammed up, but then, she realized something. Beast was right. Suddenly, the thought of getting behind the wheel of an actual car didn't freak her out like it did this morning. Or like it did yesterday. Or everyday since she'd asked to be taught.

"Definitely, but I am keeping this racing suit on, I like it," she grinned.

It was just before dinner and Belle and Ben were making their way to the foyer inside the main entrance to the palace. "So I see you got your father's message to about going out to dinner?" Belle asked as she met up with her son.

"Yeah, but I assumed he'd be here."

"Me too."

Before they could grab their phones, Beast walked in the door and greeted his wife and son. "Oh good, you're here. Ready to go?"

They both nodded. "Should we call Mal?" Ben asked.

"No need, she's already in the car."

" _You_ picked her up?" Belle asked suspiciously.

Beast smiled. "Not exactly. Come on," he said as he led them outside.

Once outside, Belle and Ben felt their jaws drop as they saw Mal sitting in one of the family's cars, more specifically, in the driver's seat. "How?" Ben asked in amazement, still not fully believing what he was seeing.

Mal opened the door and stood next to the car. She reached into her pocket and held up a piece of paper. "I got my license," she shouted in glee, raising her arms up in triumph.

Belle and Ben ran over to her and began looking over her print out. It was the same printed license that all new drivers got when they passed their driver's test until their actual license arrived in the mail.

"This looks real," Belle said.

"It is," Mal told her.

"But the licensing office is closed on Saturday," Ben said.

"Your Dad called in a favor after spending the whole day teaching me," she said, her smile still plastered on her glowing face.

Belle and Ben looked over at him.

" _You_ taught her?" Belle asked.

"In a day?" Ben added.

Beast nodded. "It was actually pretty easy. Once I got her past the actual fear of driving, she was a pretty good student. A natural behind the wheel."

"Come on, I'm driving us to dinner," Mal said, practically squealing with joy at the end as she got back in the car.

"Shotgun," Ben said as he raced over to the passenger side.

Belle walked over to her husband and put her arms around his shoulders. "Thank you for spending the day with her doing this," she said with a soft kiss to his lips. Before he could respond, they heard the honking of the car's horn. They looked and Mal was waving them inside. "I guess we better get going."

Beast took his wife's hand and led her to back seats. He cast one more quick glance to the smiling sixteen-year-old girl in the driver's seat and smiled again. He was just as proud of her as he'd been when Ben got his license.

The End


End file.
